Damper



f April 21, 1925.

J. FOWLER ET AL DAMPER Filed July 11, 1921 CLAUDE FawLER JEFFERSON FOWLER A TTORNEYS Patented Apr. 21, 1925.

UNITED, STATES r 1,534,844 PATENT OFFICE.

JEFFERSON FOWLER, OF RED CREEK, AND CLAUDE FOWLER, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK.

DAMPER.

Application filed July 11, 1921. Serial No. 483,817.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that we, JEFFERSON F owLEn and CLAUDE FOWLER, citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, of Red Creek, in the county of Wayne and State of New York, and Yonkers, in the county of VVestchester and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Damper, of

which the following is a full, clear, and exact, description.

Our invention relates to dampers, and more particularly relates to a furnace damper adapted to automatically move toward the closed position under an increased draft, due to undue increase of heat in the furnace or increase of windpressure.

The general object of the invention is to provide an extremel simple means for balancing the damper in the desired position, and readily adjustable to be either sensitively responsive to variations in the draft, or to offer a desirable resistance to increase of draft, according to the wind conditions or pursuant to the wish for a given heat to be maintained. 1 a I The nature of-the invention and its distinctive features and advantages will clearly appear as the description proceeds; V, 4

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, it being understood that the drawings are'merelyillustrative of examples of the invention. I P

Figure 1 is an elevation of a fragment of a stove pipe equipped with our invention, the balancing means being shown in full lines in the position it occupies with the damper plate fully open, thedot-and-dash lines indicating the positions of the balancing means and the damper plate when the latter is partly closed.

Figure 2 is a plan View of the damper in posit-ion. a

Figure 3 is adetail in longitudinal section to be hereinafterfurther referred to. 7

Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical section illustrating our improved damper as arrangedina horizontally disposed stove pipe section, the dotted lines representing the balancing means at the far sideof the stove pipe section and the 'dot-and-dash lines representing the damper plate in the partially closed position.

Figure 5 is an end elevation of the damper modified.

Our invention as carried out in practice comprises a valve plate designated generally valve plate as at 1O at one side of the plate and extending across the center and for the major portion of the plate, there being oppositely pressed up portions 1O at the opposite side of the plate beyond the portion 10 and the plate being punctured as at 10 for the passage of the spindle 11 in the plane of thevalve. The valve plate 10 is positively held to the spindle 11 by transverse stud 13 extending through the plate, the spindle 11 passing through the said stud at one side of the plate, and there being a nut 13 at the opposite side of the plate, to clamp the stud firmly to the spindle and valve plate.

On the spindle at one end, we provide balancing means entirely associated with the spindle to partake of the movement thereof, said means consisting of a balancing weight andsupporting means therefor of novel arrangement, as next explained. The material of the spindle is offsetor bent laterally from the trunnion 12, and therefore relatively to the axis, to form a lateral arm 14, and the material is returned on itself at the end of said arm to form a returned arm 15, thereby forming a bight 16 atthe juncture of the arms. The arms 14, 15 are given such a direction and are so disposed that the bight 16 will lie approximately in the same plane as the valve plate 10. The arm 15 runs adjacent to the arm 14, and from the outer end of said arm 15 the material is formed into a laterally directed arm 17 which is dis posed at an angle to the plane of the valve plate, the outer end of said arm 17 terminating remote from the said plane of the valve, and therefore remote from the axis of the spindle 11. i

-A balancing weight 18 is adjustable to various positions ,on the support provided by the arms 14, 15, 17, that is to say, from a position on the arm 17 at the desired point along said arm to a position at the bight 16 of the arms 14, 15. Said weight 18 is here shown with an eye 18, secured to which is a suspension link 19 adapted to travel along the arms 15, 17. On the arm 17, means is provided to retain the weight 18 in a given position. In the illustrated arrangement, and advantageously, an open spiral 20 formed of wire is loosely coiled about the arm 17 to turn thereon. The outer end of the spiral 20 is formed into a fiat coil 20. A washer 21 is disposed on the arm 17 and lies against upset end 17 of said arm outside of the flat coil 20, thereby preventing displacement of the spiral 20 and coil 20 in an outward direction. To hold the coil 2O against inward longitudinal movement on the arm 17,. a cap 22 is provided covering the end 17 of the arm as well as the washer 21, said cap having an edge flange 23 partially crimped about the outer convolution of the flat coil 20. Thus, the spiral 20 is prevented from longitudinal movement on the arm 17 in either direction.

The valve plate 10 has a convex edge 10 and a cut-out or concave edge 10 at the opposite side of the spindle, the edge 1O being designed to approach or recede from the adjacent side of the stove pipe section A, while the cut-out 10 at the opposite edge prevents the complete choking of the stove pipe by aiiording always a limited draft passage for the products of combustion. The curvature of the concave edge 10 has the same radius as the convex edge 10 to economize material in stamping out the valve plates, the material at the cut-out not being wasted but being part of the convex edge of another valve plate. The distance from the convex edge 10 to the concave edge 10 at the center of the valve 20 is approximately equal to the width of the valve plate, that is slightly less than the inside diameter of the stove pipe. The concave edge 10 however, extends aless length, leaving points 10 formed by said concave edge and the perphery of the plate in forming a cut-out of limited capacity. The arrangement is such that the convex edge of the plate conforms essentially to the inside of the stove pipe from one point 10 about the periphery of the valve plate. To close an engagement be tween the convex edge 10 and the stove pipe which might cause the soot to clog and hold the plate against opening movement. we provide a small piece of asbestos as at 24. the same being clipped to the edge of the valve plate and held by washers 25 and a rivet 26 which is split to permit removal of the rivet and renewal of the asbestos.

IVith the described arrangement, if the stove pipe in which the damper is fitted is vertical. the balancing weight may be moved along the arm 17 by turning the spiral 20 to dispose the valve plate at the desired angle in the pipe according to wind pressure or the heat desired to be developed in the furnace. It will be understood that when the valve plate is disposedat an angle to the pipe as shown in Fig. 1, the valve taken as a whole is in equilibrium, that is to say, the center of gravity of the entire movable assemblage is directly below the spindle 12. Any upward draft or wind pressure in the pipe A will unbalance the valve and cause it to swing in a clockwise direction, until it is again balanced. This operates to reduce the opening in the pipe with the result that the fire is checked. Reduction in the draft below normal permits the valve to again swing open thus supplying more air to the tire to increase its action.

When it is desired to hold the valve wide open, that is with the valve plate parallel to the axis of the pipe, the weight 18 may be moved along the arm 17 and be permitted to drop to the bight 16. Referring to Fig. 1, it will be observed that weight 18, hanging in the bight 16, in the plane of the valve plate and a considerable distance below the spindle 12, will hold the valve plate steadily in its wide open position. To render the valve again operative for controlling the draft itwonld, of course, be necessary to replace the weight 18 on the arm 17. According to the position of: the weight on the supporting means (comprising the arms 14, 15, 17), the

valve plate will be more or less sensitively responslve to changes 1n draft.

In Figure 4, my improved damper and balancing means are shown arranged in connection with a horizontal pipe section A in which position the arm 17 is in the reverse position relative to the arms 14 and 15 from the position of Figures 1 and 2, said arm 17 being disposed in a plane approximately parallel with the plane of the valve plate, while the arms 14, 15 are disposed laterally with respect to the plane of the valve plate, the action of the weight in its various positions being substantially the same as in the first described arrangement. In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 4, it is desirable to provide means to prevent the weight 18 from moving the valve plate past its central position to close the pipe. For this purpose a transverse stop wire 27 is disposed across the stove pipe and may engage an asbestos piece 28 applied to said valve plate to prevent noise in the engagement of the valve plate with said stop wire. \Ve would here mention that the asbestos clip 24 also functions to prevent clashing contact between the valve plate and the stove pipe section. In the form of Figure 4, the asbestos clip 24 may be balanced by two similar clips 24 applied to the opposite edge at each side of the cut-out 10 In this form of the invention the valve is held fully open by moving weight 18 to the left to the end of arm 17.

In the arrangement of Figures 1 and 2 and in the arrangement of Figure 4, it will be seen that the weight may be disposed laterally of the axis of the spindle, and therefore laterally of the plane of the valve plate, or be disposed in said plane, and it will be observed that the points of support on the arm 17, and at the bight 16, are in a plane oblique to theplane of the valve. plate.

In Figure 5 is shown an end View of the damper; spindle formed with a modified arrangement of balancing means. In saidfig ure, the material forming the spindle .is. bent laterally fromthe adjacent trunnion l2 to. form a lateral. arm 14 and returned on itself to form an arm 15 and :to present a bight 16R; Said arm 15 is continued inthe form of a downturned portion 17*, terminating in an upturned end 17*, thereby presenting a bight 17 The described weight 18 is formed with an eye, 18, said eye being secured to one end of a link19, the upper end of which is slidable on thesupporting arm 15* to and from the bight 16 A short length of chain 20' is'connected with the link 19 and any desired link of said chain may be engaged in the bight 17 to hold the weight 18 in the desired position along the length of the arm 15.

We would state in conclusion that while the illustrated examples constitute practical embodiments of our invention, we do not limit ourselves strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since, manifestly, the same can be considerably varied without departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a damper, in combination, a length of pipe, a valve plate, a spindle therefor, a weight arm supported by said spindle, a bight between said spindle and said weight arm, and a weight normally supported on said weight arm for balancing the valve plate in an operative position, said weight being movable to said bight to hold the Valve plate in inoperative position.

2. In a damper, in combination, a length of pipe, a valve plate, a spindle therefor, a weight arm supported by said spindle, a bight below said weight arm and located betweensaid spindle and said Weight arm, and a weight normally supported on said weight arm for balancing the valve plate in an operative position, said weight being movable to said bight to hold the valve plate in inoperative position.

3. In a damper, in combination, a length of pipe, a valve plate, a spindle therefor, a weight arm supported by said spindle, a bight between said spindle and said Weight arm, said weight arm extending in a direction transverse to a line connecting the spindle and the bight, and a weight normally supported on said weight arm and movable to said bight.

4. In a damper, in combination, a len h of pipe, a valve plate, a spindle there or, a weight arm supported by said spindle, a

bight between said spindle and said weight arm, said weight arm passing below the spindle and extending in a direction transverse to a line-connecting the spindle and the bight, and a weight normally'supported on said weight arm and movable to said bight. Y 9

.5; In a damper, in combination, a length ofpipe, avalve plate, a spindle therefor, aweight armsupported by said spindle, a bight formed at one end of said weight arm, and a weight; normally supported on said weight arm for balancing the valve plate in an operative position, said weight being movable to said bight to hold the valve plate in inoperative position. i I

6. In a damper, in combination, a length of-lpipe, a valve plate, a rotatable spindle therefor, a weightarm rigidly secured to the spindle in fixed and non-rotatable relationship therewith and adapted for movement with the spindle, a weight carried by the weight arm and adapted to be moved longitudinally thereof, and means supported by the spindle for moving the weight along the weight arm.

7. A damper comprising a valve plate, a spindle therefor, a balancing weight, supporting means on said spindle for said weight, said supporting means including an arm affording sliding movement of the weight to various positions; together witha spiral turnably mounted on the supporting means to move the weight in either direction on the supporting means, said spiral being formed into a fiat coil at the outer end thereof, the arm on which the spiral turns having a washer preventing longitudinal movement of the spiral in one direction, and there being a cap on said flat coil engaging the latter and preventing longitudinal movement of the spiral in the opposite direction.

8. In a damper, in combination, a length of pipe, a valve plate, a spindle therefor, a weight arm supported by the spindle, a weight carried by the weight arm and adapted for a translational non-rotary movement lengthwise thereof, and means for advancing the weight along the weight arm.

9. In a damper, in combination, a length of pipe, a valve plate, a spindle therefor, a weight arm supported by the spindle, a weight carried by the weight arm and adapted for a translational non-rotary movement lengthwise thereof, and speed-reducing means for advancing the weight along the weight arm.

10. In a damper, in combination, a length of pipe, a valve plate, a spindle therefor, a weight arm supported by the spindle, a weight carried by the weight arm and adapted for a translational non-rotary movement lengthwise thereof, and screw means for advancing the weight along the weight arm.

11. In a damper, in combination, a length of pipe, a valve plate, a spindle therefor, a weight arm rigidly and non-rotatably s'ecured to the spindle, a Weight carried by the weight arm and adapted for a trans lational non-rotary movement lengthwise thereof, and means supported by the spindle for advancing the weight along the weight arm. a

12. In a damper, in combination, a length of pipe, a valve plate, a spindle therefor, a weight arm rigidly and non-rotatably secured to the spindle, a weight carried by the weight arm and adapted for a translational non-rotary movement lengthwise thereof, and means extending along the weight for advancing the weight thereon.

13. In a damper, in combination, a length of pipe, a valve plate, a spindle therefor, a weight arm rigidly and non-rotatably secured to the spindle, a weight carried by the weight arm and adapted for a translational non-rotary movement lengthwise thereof, and screw means surrounding the weight arm for advancing the weight thereon.

14. In a damper, the combination with a length of pipe, a valve plate, a spindle therefor, a weight arm supported by a spindle, a Weight carried by the weight arm, and means for advancing the weight along the arm, said means including a screw device for causing movement of theweight along the arm and provisions permitting move-- ment of the weight independently of the screw device.

JEFFERSON FOWLER. CLAUDE FOl/VLER. 

